Category Archives: Theatre

The theatre. The theatre. What’s HAPPENED to the theatre?

Thanksgiving In Vegas

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So what did I do for Thanksgiving Weekend. Got a haircut. Went to Vegas and created art by being hung upside down and slammed into a canvas covered in paint. No I wasn’t drunk, no I didn’t lose a bet (I’m still too young to gamble!)…I was a participant in the Blue Man Group show at the Venetian. So here’s what happened. A Blue Man selected me randomly out of the audience and brought me up on stage. They helped me into a plain white jumpsuit, placed a blue mark on my cheek (think Indian war paint) and put a blacked out motorcycle helmet on my head. Then they led me off stage and covered the jumpsuit with blue paint (rather roughly I might add). Then they attached a rope to my leg, hung me upside down and slammed me into a canvas. And then they pulled me out of … Continue reading →

Sweeney Todd – STAGEStheatre

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Sweeney Todd This was an incredible performance. If you think about it, Sweeny Todd could really be pulled off in a small space: all you really need from a big stage is that “cube” that has the upstairs barbershop and the downstairs shop which rotates to the oven which rotates to the parlor. This can be (and was) re-envisioned into a small space with two floors. It was beautiful to watch. The small space also makes the chorus that much more haunting as they stare at you from less than 10 feet away screaming “SWEENY!” at you. Holy carp was that exciting! The harmonies were incredibly tight and sounded fantastic. Paired with canned music (which is normally horrible to envision), this resulted in a well-paced and beautiful sounding piece. The acting was incredible, especially Sweeny (who also directed AND musical directed the show) and Mrs. Lovett. They had incredible chemisty … Continue reading →

Lend Me A Tenor – GWC

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People I Knew Mark Bedard – from Guys and Dolls at Goldenwest College Christa Mathis – informally as an acquaintance of Mark Bedard Christian Navarro – informally as a techie for Guys and Dolls at Goldenwest College Tony Torrico – from Guys and Dolls at Goldenwest College

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

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Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in Concert at the Anaheim House of Blues (Downtown Disney) Playlist from 4/23/05 (verified) 1. Zig zaggity woop Woop 2. Simple Songs 3. You Know You Wrong 4. Big time operator 5. Mr. pinstripe suit 6. Minnie the moocher 7. oh yeah 8. king of swing 9. you and me and the bottle makes three tonight 10. Mambo Swing 11. Cruel Spell 12. Jumpin’ jack 13. I Wanna be like you 14. go daddy-o False-stop   15. “Don’t you” feel my leg For this song, Scotty will be playing the role of the lady For this purpose he is wearing a g-string Actually he’s not wearing a g-string He’s not wearing anything at all “The kid” is wearing the g-string   16. So Long, farewell, goodbye “Sweet home Alabama” style rock-out before last note

The Lion King

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The reason I’m not too happy with The Lion King is that it’s difficult (nigh impossible) to adapt everything word-for-word from an animated feature for a musical…but still…The Lion King is a treasured movie in my eyes (being one of the last “great ones”) and while (I think) I can overlook minor adaptation alterations…some things just scream at me! I mean, I almost couldn’t enjoy the show for the sheer fact that these were humans dancing around like lions…for crying out loud, Cats is more immersive than this. About the only thing I could enjoy about the show is the technical superiority of all the effects. They look pretty darned sweet…and I love all the puppets and dolls and masks and stuff…but for some reason I just can’t suspend disbelief for this musical…I can’t explain it. Beyond that, the music sounded great as did the singing…but that’s all I can … Continue reading →

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

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Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in Concert at the Anaheim House of Blues (Downtown Disney) Playlist from 12/04/04 (verified) Rockabilly Christmas Mr. Heatmiser Merry Christmas Baby King of Swing You and Me (and the Bottle Makes Three Tonight) Blue Christmas A Party For Santa You Know You Wrong Big Time Operator Christmastime in Tinseltown Jumpin’ Jack Jungle Book (I Wanna Be Just Like You) Last Night (I Went Out with Santa Claus) Jump with me Baby Go Daddy-O false stop Is That You, Santa Claus? requests, “zoot suit quiet” story Minnie the Moocher So Long, Farewell, Goodbye “Smells Like Teen Spirit”-style rock out before last note

Hairspray – OCPAC

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I hate to admit it, but I really loved this musical. Actually the only reason not to love is because of all the pink merchandise, so I don’t really hate to admit it. It was just a lot of fun. From the energetic comedy to the powerhouse performances to the songs that make you want to dance in the aisles, this musical deserves it’s 8 Tony’s. Although, I hope that Harvey Fierstien did NOT get one of them. He’s on the original Broadway recording and he doesn’t sing…he just says all the lines with that gravelly, vomit inducing groan of his and I HATE IT! The national tour features a cross-dressing man who can actually sing! And it really completes the show. Probably my 2 favorite characters were the Female Authority Figure and Penny, Tracy’s best friend who is…a little on the dumb side. Tracy: There’s going to be armed … Continue reading →

Lights Camera Action

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I just saw Rent for the first time in my life…even though I already knew the story and all the lyrics. See the summer before 9th grade (1999), I participated in two productions with Musical Youth Artist Repertory Theatre, aka MYART. I got involved with the group because the director/producer taught drama at my middle school. The two shows I did (The King and I, Annie) were my first real introduction into the world of musical theatre. Yeah there was that thing in 97 where the entire family did a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, but that doesn’t really count because I was in the kid’s chorus. So here I am this freshman punk hanging out with a bunch of high school kids…and what was a big phenomenon in 99 for musical theatre high school rebels? That’s right…Sweeny Todd. No you idiot, it was Rent. So we … Continue reading →